Discussing Insurance and Disparities in Gynecologic Oncology

Anna Jo Bodurtha Smith, MD, a third year Gynecologic Oncology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, fellow at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation and Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, discusses her research on insurance mediated disparities in gynecologic oncology.

In a review article, the major barriers which make it hard for patients to access and afford quality care for the treatment of their cancer are highlighted.

According to Smith, disparities lead to major problems for patients as they contribute to one-third of women with gynecologic cancer never visiting a gynecologic oncologist, even though this is the standard of care recommended by multiple sources.

Transcription:

0:08 | One of my long-term interests has been on how insurance affects availability, access and affordability of care in the United States. This was a review article looking at every step of the gynecologic oncology process from screening or symptom presentation to diagnosis. From diagnosis to treatment, to surveillance, to insurance and whether patients have public insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid or private insurance where there are potential barriers based on their insurance type.

0:38 | We traditionally think about insurance alone being the biggest thing about access to care, but we know that there are specific barriers to care. There are issues with affordability, availability, and accessibility of care for insured patients.